More about Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda

Gorilla habituation experience is also abbreviated as “GHEX” and in Uganda it can be carried out in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and it costs $1500. During the habituation process, these Gorillas are trained to get used to people and this training often takes 2-3 years to be completed, it is during this time that researchers keep on visiting a successful gorilla group day by day to ensure that it is fit to be habituated. As time goes by these amazing apes get used to these researchers and later on each gorilla is given a name, after the researchers are sure that these gorillas are fit to be habituated, they tend to give them “exams” where people like scientists, journalists visit to witness after they have passed their exercise and a family that passes the exercise is opened for Trekking.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is estimated to have 11 Gorilla family groups and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has 1 gorilla family making up a total of 12 gorilla habituation groups in Uganda. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Gorilla habituation is only done in Rushaga and it takes 4hours for tourists to stay with them during the experience. This activity is allowed to be carried out by a maximum of 8 people and these people should be at the age of 15 and above years because all Park Authorities when it comes to age limit, they are serious in that they even ask for passport details of the tourists that are going for the habituation experience before they issue them permits, and on the exact day of habituation, original passports are asked for to confirm the age of these tourists.

The gorilla families that are habituated in these National Park include;

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:

Mubare gorilla family; this was the first group to be habituated in the year 1991 and it received its first tourists in 1993, it was given its name Mubare after Mubare hills in which the group was discovered.

Hibayanja gorilla family; this was the second group to be habituated in 1997 for tracking and received tourists in 1999, however, a family was split from it named the Rushegura group, these two groups crisscross each other now and again and co-exist peacefully.

Rushegura gorilla group; this group was habituated in 2000 for tracking by tourists and received its tourists in 2002, it is a huge group with in the Buhoma area of Bwindi forest.

Bitukura gorilla family; this group is among the newest groups in Bwindi. It is found and roams the verdant forest with in the Ruhija area.

Mishaya gorilla family; following a gorilla family split from the then biggest gorilla group in Bwindi.

Nshonji gorilla family; this currently the biggest habituated gorilla family in Uganda with 25members at the opening of the group for visitors after habituation. It comprised of 25members and 10 left to form another group called the Mishaya group.

Nkuringo gorilla family; this group comprises of 19 members and is a favorite group to people who have tracked over one group.

In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park:

The Nyakagezi gorilla group; is the only fully habituated group in Mgahinga. Given that it is the only habituated family, it offers visitors a great opportunity to track the rare Mountain Gorillas in the wild. It is composed of 9members, 4silverbacks, 2infants, 2adult females, 1juvenile. The dominant silverback is Mark who took over leadership from his father Bugingo. Bugingo the eldest silverback is believed to be more than 54years. A rare but an interesting fact about Nyakagezi group is that Bugingo still lives in the family yet in most cases, once the dormant silverback is over thrown, he’s banished and dies in isolation or seeks refuge from other groups e.g. in Mubare group after Kanyanyi took over leadership from Ruhondeza, the latter after the group and lived a solitary life until he died.

What to bring

1. Waterproof hiking boots/ shoes
2. Insect repellent
3. Water proof jackets
4. Binoculars
5. Cameras with extra batteries
6. Light clothes for evenings
7. Woolen coats for cold nights
8. Long sleeved shirts/blouses
9. Hat and sun glasses